We’re starting school in our house tomorrow. Let us all observe a moment of silence for the pencil-dropping days ahead.

I can’t remember the last time I started school before Labor Day; to me, it’s the perfect line in the sand, a clear division between summer and fall. And there’s an added benefit, too: our local school starts in mid-August, so my kids feel like they’re bucking the system a bit for that two-week period when their friends from town are in class. And I play it up, too, reminding them of their freedom every day…because once the school bell rings for the year, the pace of our house changes quite a bit.

Before I get to the heart of this post, here’s a poll. Jump in and let me know when your homeschool or public/private school started class (or will start.) I’m curious to know how many people are like me and put off the inevitable as long as they possibly can.

HA AND SNORT

In honor of school starting tomorrow, I wanted to share with you two of my favorite things-are-way-too-serious-around-here-so-let’s-drop-the-books-and-play-a-dumb-game games. I’ve played these since I was a young teenager at church camp, and they never fail to transform the mood in the room from heavy and cerebral…to light and dorky.

I’m so glad I’m here to provide you with these highly relevant educational tips.

Ha

To play Ha, everyone plops down on the floor and lies down on their backs, resting their head on someone else’s stomach. So for instance, I lie down, my daughter lays her head on my stomach, her brother lays his head on her stomach, my other daughter lays her head on her brother’s stomach, my baby lays his head on my daughter’s stomach…and Charlie sits there on the couch and wonders what in the world his family is doing.

Then, once everyone is in place, the “Ha” process begins:

I go first: “Ha.”
Then my daughter, whose head is on my stomach: “Ha ha.”
Then her brother, whose head is on her stomach: “Ha ha ha.”

The process continues with each person adding an additional “Ha” to the end. The object of the game is to keep the “ha” process going without busting out laughing, which is extremely difficult to do as the number of “Ha’s” increases, and as the person’s stomach on which your head is resting is shaking and quaking in suppressed laughter.

If you mess up–if you lose it and laugh in the middle of your turn–you’re out; you have to get up and leave the chain. At that point, the “Ha” process starts over. Eventually it gets down to two people, and hilarity ensues:

And then we have a winner. The person who kept from losing it is the victor.

Snort

Snort is very similar to Ha, except instead of saying “Ha…” you snort.

I assume you all know how to snort. Try it right now, just to be sure.

You can do the head-on-the-stomach method, if you like. Or you can simply face one another one-on-one or in a circle.

“Snort.”
“Snort snort.”
“Snort snort snort.”
Etc.

My friend and PW Homeschooling contributor Heather/OMSH and her family visited the ranch last summer, and her husband and I wound up in a head-to-head game of Snort. Don’t ask me how this happened; it was either Snort or Dance Dance Revolution and I wasn’t wearing the right clothes (or undergarments) for that.

I wound up beating Jeff handily because my face looked so contorted and strange when I was snorting repeatedly, Jeff couldn’t stand it and burst out in laughter. So part of the fun of Snort is looking into the eye of your opponent as you snort. It raises the level of difficulty because it becomes much more difficult not to laugh.

That’s it! Just a couple of fun, ridiculous games to break the monotony of your homeschool experience.

Good luck to those who ring the school bell for the first time tomorrow!

With the snort game, I’m picturing you facing off your opponent, with a haunting spaghetti Western piece of music playing as you stare him down in the middle of the dusty street. Maybe like Gunfight at the OK Corral. Snort Fest at the Pee Dubyah’s Ranch.

It could be a classic.

6

jackieville On Monday, September 5 at 9:31 am

Love the games! I know I’d laugh first! I laugh so easily! *g*

School always starts the day after Labor Day in New Jersey where I grew up. Seeing it start in mid-August in Colorado, Florida, and now in West Virginia still seems strange. I can’t imagine beginning before Labor Day.

How fun are these games?? I may have to play a quick round with my boy if he EVER gets up…this rainy day isn’t prompting anyone but me to get out of bed. But we NEED the rain… creek is dry and the ground looks like Africa in the dry season….

My kids play HA all the time!!! There enough of them to make it fun!!! How funny is that on the far side of the world!!! Good luck with back to school we are halfway through our school year… well 20/36 weeks and I am counting… down to Summer!!!

11

JoMom On Monday, September 5 at 9:45 am

The weather has been sooooo hot, we started early because we couldn’t think of anything better to do. Homeschool park days are not generally attended well when it’s 108. The last two weeks have flown by!

Now that it’s looking •gorgeous• for this week, we might spend a bit more time outdoors, and a bit less on latin and chemistry.

12

Lori On Monday, September 5 at 9:49 am

We started July 11th (homeschool). We’ve gotten a bunch done when it was too hot to do anything else, and we will be taking off 2 weeks in October as well as a long Christmas vacation.

13

Linda B On Monday, September 5 at 10:05 am

We started August 9 in public school and it really ticks me off. We are getting a shorter summer by a few days every year…slowly being transitioned into all year school without being given the choice. Our school district is outstanding, but this is my personal soap box.

Summer = time in warp speed. I cannot believe it’s over. And I cannot believe that as of tomorrow, I’ll have a first-grader and I’m putting my second baby into kindergarten. That leaves me with just one at home. Huge tug on the heartstrings. Why do they have to grow up so fast??

16

Kate On Monday, September 5 at 10:11 am

I used both of those games all the time when I worked with a church youth group. Such good laughs! For a fun twist on the snort game, try playing without showing your teeth. If you show your teeth, you’re out of the game. That gets some hilarious faces!

17

Danni On Monday, September 5 at 10:19 am

I just wanted to point out, that by judging the responses in the poll, most of the readers of this area of the site are public/private school families. And yet, we read of the homeschooling adventures and it helps to normalize homeschooling to such a large population that might not normally get to see much of it. Which helps to legitimatize and validate the method. I really think that this is/will making a difference in how homeschoolers are viewed by the genpop everywhere. That’ll help families that live in areas where it is less acceptable (and as Heather’s post regarding health checks demonstrated, there are lots of those places!). I think that’s pretty awesome that “just a blog” can accomplish so much.

Also, the game of Ha is one of the best ever! Babysitting boredom reliever at its best.

18

Rebecca On Monday, September 5 at 10:44 am

We started homeschool Aug.15, but we ease into the year adding subjects, projects, reading assignments and activities a little at a time. We won’t have a completely full week or a set schedule until a week from today. It seems to make the shock a little easier to take.

I wish everyone could be on the same schedule… or at least my own dear children could start tomorrow. We have a mix: One started neighborhood grade school mid-August, which is a corrupt and horrible start time. One started junior high home school last week, which is reasonable. The eldest started last week, but sort of invoked artistic license and went to Burning Man… his tired, dusty butt will be in class first thing tomorrow morning.

20

Sallie On Monday, September 5 at 10:49 am

I was an “other” vote…I’m in my last year of college, and school starts NEXT monday. I, too revel in that “buck the system,” “Ha Ha, suckers!!!” feeling as everyone else I know has started before me

We start school tomorrow. But when we lived in North Carolina, we started around the second week of July. It was always so blasted hot, that we didn’t want to be outside anyways. So we started school. BUT……we took off the ENTIRE month of October, when the weather was gorgeous, and everyone else was cooped up inside. We also took off extra days here and there, whenever we wanted. We always finished the school year around the end of April, beginning of May. It was perfect!

Now that we live in Alaska, and summer is already ridiculously short, we start the day after Labor Day, just so we can enjoy as much of it as possible.

24

Gayle On Monday, September 5 at 11:42 am

Our philosophy is the same as yours regarding the Labor Day start time, but this year we started at the beginning of August because #5 will be here at the end of November.
I did that so we could take all of Thanksgiving to New Years off.
Happy first day of school tomorrow, Ree!

25

Theresa in Alberta On Monday, September 5 at 12:01 pm

well, HA!

Pam the Goatherd On Monday, September 5 at 12:58 pm

Cindy A. On Monday, September 5 at 12:06 pm

We live in NC in a county where the public schools are year round. It seemed crazy to us when we first moved here but now we love it. The kids go to school for ~9 weeks and have 3 weeks off year round. To the person who commented on all of us who are public schoolers reading this blog, I can confirm that I truly enjoy reading the posts about homeschooling. It has inspired me to at least entertain the thought of homeschooling my children but I’m too chicken to try it. Kudos to all of you!!

27

laura On Monday, September 5 at 12:16 pm

Loved this game years ago, thanks for reminder. Will come in handy this weekend for daughter’s 13th party. Going to have fun with this, pogo sticks, jump roping, chinese jump rope, hula hoops, boccee ball, face painting, cupcake decorating, and the usual hilarity that eight 13 year old girls bring to a house.
School started last week with the two days all about procedures and not much else daughter (last of the ten not graduated high school) informed me though she said she loved it.
Tomorrow’s trip to school will be a little different because we will be wearing mittens and jackets. Yep, there was ice on the van this morning, didn’t need to scrap but was there.

Sarah C. On Monday, September 5 at 12:19 pm

We started home schooling on August 1st. My youngest, who goes to public Kindy, started on the 15th of August. We usually go year around with the homeschooling, but took June and July off this year.

30

Caryn On Monday, September 5 at 12:44 pm

We were going to start tomorrow but the kids ASKED ME of they could start a few weeks ago. We chose some new curric and they wanted to get started! We are 3 weeks in to this school year and so far everything has been a hit! We start music lesson on Wednesday, time to dig out the ear plugs

31

Natalie Rush On Monday, September 5 at 12:52 pm

Gasp! I didn’t know anyone outside of my eccentric family knew the game that we call “Tummy Ha Ha.” Thanks for reminding me of all kinds of warmy fuzzy feelings from my childhood. As a youth group leader for several years, it’s been a valuable tool for breaking the ice in small groups and showing my teens this it’s okay (and encouraged) to be silly!

Our local schools started 3 and 4 wks ago; we started 3 wks ago… but we are hoping to take off all of December when my college kids are home on break

33

Carolyn On Monday, September 5 at 1:00 pm

Tomorrow! But only because we had an unexpected beautiful preemie girl added to our household. We were gonna start a couple weeks ago…beauty of homeschool!

JoMom On Monday, September 5 at 3:31 pm

Congrats!
And welcome to the world, little girl!!!

34

Pam the Goatherd On Monday, September 5 at 1:01 pm

The last of my three children starts his senior year of college this week. My daughter starts her substitute teaching job this week. It has been a loooooong time since I paid attention to the first day of school. But I still love reading this section of PW to see what homeschoolers are doing these days.

35

Anne S On Monday, September 5 at 1:54 pm

I will so be using these games…..!!!!

36

Stephanie On Monday, September 5 at 2:35 pm

Other: I’ve got two in private school and one homeschooled this year – all started last month. It is so strange to only have one at home now; I’ve yet to find my new normal. Anyway, those games sound hilarious. I’ll have to pull one of them out when the house gets too quiet.

37

Janice On Monday, September 5 at 2:50 pm

Great! I forgot about Ha. Never heard of Snort. Thanks for the fun ideas!

38

Judy Lynn On Monday, September 5 at 4:06 pm

Ree…. I”ve never heard of this game but whenever I laugh really hard…. I snort! Just ask my husband or one of my 5 sisters:) My sisters do too!

We actually started today, yes I know it is Labor Day but here in Alaska it is also moose season and since my husband is out hunting, why not start school. Once he drags that moose home we will be busy processing that moose for the freezer.

I had to vote ‘other’ in the poll because I have one homeschooled child and one private school child and they have both already started… a month ago! But we’ll get a week off in October, so they’ll get some time to really enjoy the fall weather… ya know, that stuff that we just got again

41

Kessie On Monday, September 5 at 5:07 pm

Ha, I’ve never heard of either of those. It must be my extreme youth. When I was growing up, we had a similar game that we’d play with someone who was grouchy and pouting. You look at them, and with a completely straight face, you say, “Don’t smile. I mean it, don’t smile. Don’t. Don’t you DARE smile. Don’t you smile!” and so on, as a grin steals across their face.

42

twobearsmom On Monday, September 5 at 5:24 pm

We too, are starting our homeschool year tomorrow. I’m a little anxious with this being my first year to begin this journey with my girls. All the best to those who have started their year already or will begin tomorrow!

43

Karen On Monday, September 5 at 5:36 pm

LOVE IT!! Will be trying your games soon.
Thanks Ree!

44

CarinaRdz On Monday, September 5 at 8:16 pm

I L.O.V.E. the “ha” game!!!
I was a camp counselor all throughout college leading kids on hiking trips through the woods and this was a favorite game to be played during downtime.
Thanks for the great memory flashback!

45

Tonya Scarborough On Monday, September 5 at 8:35 pm

We start the week after labor day – or just whenever I d*** well feel like it. Renegades!

46

Sam On Monday, September 5 at 9:00 pm

Ok – well – we DID start school today – we learned – Ha and Snort – although my girls said the snorting hurt their noses. It was the laughing – not one round completed. So fun – and learning – Tomorrow classroom – seems as though we are in the minority, but my girls did do a Magic School Bus Human Body / Anatomy experiment kit today. It is good – just be sure you have empty soda bottles around. Doesn’t kit mean it has it all in there? Hmm… well, it was fun, regardless – and they worked together – OR it was hit the floor for Ha or Snort…. heehee – a great solution to sibling bickering or whiny toddlers and or a waking-up crabby pants.

Jo in RI On Monday, September 5 at 11:35 pm

I LOVE the Ha game!! I tried to teach my little family of 4 that game… er… 3 besides me… it just didn’t quite work… I need to reintroduce it now… with a larger crowd!! =) Ha! love that you posted about this today! =) and the Snort game… going to have to add this to my silly game list!!! sounds fabulous!!

Oh… I home school one and the other goes to public school… both start on Wed.

Awesome! I can’t wait to use these during a moment of much-needed brevity… And recently we’ve had a lot of those moments. We started school on the 1st of August (big mistake, but not much I can do about it now, huh?), but I like the idea of starting after Labor Day too. Especially that whole “bucking the system” part…. Yep, that’s for me

oh my. that is funny. i’ve played “ha” before, but never snort. sounds like a hoot! i wouldn’t last one round, i’d be laughing so hard before it was over! way to persevere, Ree!

54

Janet Critelli On Tuesday, September 6 at 8:08 am

Thanks for sharing those games, they will come in handy!!

My kids are in year-round public school. The beginning of each school year is July 1, with a week off. Then they begin a session of quarters, with 9 weeks “tracked in” school and 3-4 weeks “tracked out” of school. We LOVE it

MNCaroline On Tuesday, September 6 at 10:28 am

Schools around here follow the “King’s Dominion Law.” King’s Dominion is an amusement park an hour or so south of DC, and the last day of the summer season is Labor Day, so all the schools start the day after Labor Day for that reason. True story.

Stacey On Tuesday, September 6 at 12:54 pm

School doesn’t offical start at our house until all the harvest is in. That means that sometime at the end of September when the apples are done we will begin. Although to make sure we meet our states requirements we do math 5 days a week all year round so I can get my days in.

61

Debbie On Tuesday, September 6 at 9:33 pm

This year we tried something new and it’s worked really well. Two weeks ago we had a “soft start” to school (like a new restaurant). Our soft start included our basics–the morning routine, chores, and music practice–if these things aren’t going well, then nothing goes very well the rest of the day. Then last week we had a “hard start,” adding academics to the schedule. It was a pretty smooth transition and the kids seemed ready for it. I’m hoping this concept will work after Christmas break or any other time our routine in interrupted.

62

Kari W. On Tuesday, September 6 at 9:44 pm

Ree….just curious…do you still home school your children…or do you have a teacher who home schools them?

63

Lorrie On Tuesday, September 6 at 10:01 pm

Year round Independent Study. One month off in June and started July 1st.

64

Melissa R On Wednesday, September 7 at 6:46 am

We homeschool all year. It greatly takes the pressure off if we need to take days off for any reason. Then we don’t worry about getting in our “required” number of days. Also, we all do SO much better with a constant schedule. And we don’t have to spend time reviewing (remembering)(relearning) what we forgot over the summer

65

RebekahB On Wednesday, September 7 at 9:53 am

I have played the “ha” game since I was like 10 and none of the people that I try to play with have ever heard of it much less played it, but when they do they love it thanks for posting it so many others will have fun with it!

66

Samantha On Wednesday, September 7 at 5:12 pm

Our youth group was stuck in an airport with an indefinite layover due to inclement weather once, and we all layed in the floor and played the “Ha” game. There had to be at least 30 of us, and it sure did help pass the time. At first the other people in the airport seemed annoyed at us laying in the floor, but once they saw how much fun we were having, the whole atmosphere lightened up a bit. So glad to know that you have taken the time to play games like that with your children. They’ll pass it on to someone else someday!

67

Gail On Wednesday, September 7 at 9:19 pm

hahahahasnort! Thanks for bringing back some great memories! Never played snort, but used to play ha at pajama parties as a young teen. What fun! My kids would have loved snort, had I known about it when they were young! Too late, now…they are sophisticated 28- and 32-yearolds now..

68

livingalaska On Friday, September 9 at 1:59 am

We live in Alaska and now start our group classes the middle of September but I will wait and add the classes that I teach them in a few weeks. When we lived in the bush we would start around the middle to end of October depending on the weather, otherwise we were completely done with school in March and there is absolutely nothing to do when it is 40 below out and still dark outside. And that was with taking a month off to celebrate Christmas. Hunting season ends here for us the end of September and that always takes priority.I love the flexibility we have with homeschooling and now that we live in the city (Anchorage) we enjoy so many activities that my kids some times miss the quieter days when we lived in the bush, but only every once in awhile.